Coin chute for coin operated machines



June 30, 1959 FORCEY 2,892,527

COIN CHUTEI FOR COIN OPERATED MACHINES Filed April 11, 1955 25 Z/ INVENTOR.

542A 0. F0862 Y Z4 2/ /6 BY United States This invention relates to coin chutes and mechanisms for retaining a coin in a visible position after insertion in a coin-operated machine, to exhibit it to the owner of the machine or his agent, or to the public generally at the time the machine performs the service paid for by the coin. The purpose is to discourage or deter the use of improper coins or tokens in machines that ordinarily are not equipped to detect false coins or tokens. These coin-operated machines may be vending machines, fare collection boxes for releasing a turnstile, parking meters, etc.

It has been customary in such machines to provide a slot through which the coin when inserted drops down a chute into exhibited position behind a window in the machine below the slot, where it is caught by suitable mechanism, and later released when a new coin is inserted. The releasing mechanisms have not always been reliable, sometimes jamming and preventing the new coin from dropping into the exhibit position, and sometimes releasing the exhibited coin but failing to return quickly enough to catch the new coin and thus allowing it to fall out of sight without stopping at the window. This has not only resulted in loss of profits in the case of jammed mechanisms but also in the added cost of servicing and replacement of the defective machines.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the haphazard operation of swinging release and catch mechanisms for these coin chutes, by providing a positive release of the coin in the exhibit window and a positive release of the catch mechanism to catch position operated after said coin has been released and before the new coin has reached the exhibit window.

Another object is to provide a spring-latching means for the swinging release and catch mechanism when swung into release position and causing the new coin to trip said spring-latching means and swing the mechanism into catching position just as the coin passes the tripping position immediately above the window.

A further object is to provide a self-operated coin catch for a coin chute having a spring latch for holding said catch in the coin release position until a coin dropped in the chute trips said latch to catch the coin in a position immediately below the latch.

A further object is to provide a coin chute with coin stop means which are retractible by the insertion of a coin into said chute, to a latched position for releasing a stopped coin therein, and which are releasable by the approach of said inserted coin, to an operative position for stopping said inserted coin as it reaches said stop means.

Other and more specific objects will appear in the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the coin slot assembly adapted for use in a parking meter, the casing of which has a atent O 2,892,527 Patented June 30, 1959 ice window immediately in front of the lower coin position indicated,

Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion of the assembly with a portion of the meter wall from which the assembly was removed, showing the catch means latched in coin release position, and in broken lines in operative coin-stop position,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The assembly here illustrated is adapted for use in a well known type of parking meter, altho it is obviously adaptable to many other types of coin-operated or token-operated machines.

The assembly is fixed to a slotted cover plate 10 which closes ofi a matched opening in the front wall 11 of a parking meter, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 2. Suitable mechanism is mounted on the back plate 10 for operation by the insertion of the proper coin in the slot 12, to set the timing and signal means, etc. including a linkage for operating a kicker arm (not shown) for striking or lifting a lever such as 13 of some form of catcher configuration which usually consisted of a swinging hook integral with the lever and normally biased by gravity or otherwise to return to intercept the coin in a cutaway portion 15 of the chute 16 in back of an inspection window 17 in the front wall 11 of th meter below the slot 12.

In the present invention the catcher means comprises a stamping cut from sheet metal such as brass and bent as shown to form a configuration 14 having pivots 18 mounted in loose bearings in a pair of ears formed by bending back extensions of the back wall of the chute 16, the lever 13 being an extension of the configuration bent back near one of these pivots, there being upwardly and downwardly extending pairs of arms 19 from the pivoted portion, the outer sides of these arms 19 each having arcuate extensions 20 and 21 at their ends bent into a plane normal to the pivots. The lower arms 19 are bent back angularly to the upper arms and pivot portion sufiiciently to clear the arcuate extensions 21 out of the coin passage 25 between the front and rear walls of the chute when the catcher configuration is latched after the arm 13 has been lifted to pass the arcuate extension 20 with the notch 22 under the end loop 23 of a light spring 24, as well as to clear the arcuate extensions 20 out of passage 25 when the catcher configuration is released and returns to its normal coinstop position by reason of the bias exerted on it by coil spring 26, which is fastened at its lower end to a backwardly turned ear 27 at the bottom of the rear wall of chute 16, and at its upper end to the upper edge 28 of the pivoted portion of the configuration 14.

It will be evident that when a coin is pushed through the slot 12 and operates the mechanism back of plate 10 to kick the lever 13 upwardly through intermediate linkage of well known design, the coin previously used and exhibited at the window 17 is immediately released and falls down into a coin box. The configuration 14 is positively latched by the spring 24 when the loop 22 at its lower end enters the notch 23 on one of the arcuate extensions 20. There is no chance of the coin sticking or hesitating, even if it should be wet, because the inside of the rear wall of chute 15 adjacent to the coin and against which it has a tendency to lean is provided with a series of small protrusions 29 to reduce surface friction between the coin and the Wall to a minimum.

3 newly inserted coin then drops down between quarter-cylindrical guide wings 30. in the position 31 shown in Fig. 3. When its lower edge strikes the V- shaped notch formed by the oppositely slanting edges 32 and: 33 of the! cutaways in the' front and rear walls of the chute, its opposite sides are struck eccentric'ally; thus causingiit to turn about a vertical axis, assisted further-by the slanting ed'ges '32' and 33 to co'mpletea 90 degree turn', and thenit slides down the space 25. When it-=- reaches the position 34, its lower edge strikes the rearwardly projecting end 35 of spring 24'which, being very light; moves the lower looped end 23 sideways out of notch 22 to release the configuration 14 from its lttchted-pos-itiomdhus removing both arcuate extensions 20 out of passage 25 and permitting the coin to drop to the evacuate-extensions 2*1,vwhichare now'moved across the bottom of passage 25 to stop the coin in the exhibit position 361' It has been found that'- this device assures positivereleaseofa coin frorn the exhibit position when a new coin is inserted, and a positive'operation of the catch mechanism by the coin itselfimmediately before it reaches; to exhibit position.

Obviously; many modificationsin the detail arrangementand form of parts maybe made without departingironr the' spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1; In a substantially vertical coin chute having coin guide means for receiving a coin dropped intoit and tunnelling the coin by gravity'edgewise into the'top of said chute,- said chute having a cross-sectional area slightly larger than the diametral cross-section of saidcoin to provide free sliding passage for the coin theredownwardly from said pivot, said arm having an arcute extensionnormally extending forwardly through-- said chute for intercepting the coin at an inspection station in said chute, said rocker being normally biased into this coin intercepting position and having an arm adapted for operation of said rocker into rocker latched position with the arcuate extension moved out of said chute to release an inter'ceptedcoin, said rocker having an upwardly extending arm with a notched arcuate extension normally backof' said chute; a light wire latch spring fixed at its upper end to the front; of the chute and extending downwardly to form a lobe at its lower end in front of an openingin the chute for cooperation with the notch on the arcuate arm extension when the rocker is operated into latched position, the end of said lobe being turned up above the said arcuate arm extension and then rearwardly through said chute opening for operation by the coin dropping through said chute to spring said lobe sideways out of said notch and thus release the rocker.

2'. A coinch'ute androcker combination as claimed in claim 1; said arcuate' extension on said downwardly extending arm comprisingtwo horizontally spaced parallel prongs'for holding the coin substantially centered laterally in said chute.

3. A coin chute and rocker combination as claimed in claim 2, s'aidnotched arcuate extensioncompri'sing'a' single prong near one'side of saidslot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,243 De Kleist Dec. 2 6; 1905 923,532 Jones June- 1, 1909 2,22718'1 Finch Dec. 31, 1940 2,312,836 Herschede' Mar. 2, 1943 

